You know what seems to be happening a lot in recent years? Super Groups. Conversely you know what seems to be lost to the annals of history? Rapper/Producer albums. Not the Kanye West “a producer that raps” type, I mean one consistent, cohesive musical vision throughout an entire album done by 1 MC and his DJ/Producer or production team. Up until about 1993 it’s pretty much how all rap albums were made, these days not so much. Well you know who’s combining these two seemingly dynamically opposed concepts? No, you probably don’t because you don’t stay up on ill shit the way I do. But the answer is Grand Killa Con, a joint effort from Gurp City All Star Luke Sick, the lyricist behind projects like Sacred Hoop & Grand Invincible, and Brycon a producer whose worked with everyone from Action Bronson to Masta Ace.
As a super group I’m gonna go ahead & rate them firmly right between The Hot Boys & The Traveling Wilburys. As a rapper/producer combo, I would put them somewhere in the neighborhood of a Marley Marl & Kane. Their first leak ”Hemmed pt.1″ is the beginning of their run up to this summer’s release of their full-length “Year of the Tre Bag” and is accompanied by a video that’s as grimy as the album title suggests.
The Germans have a saying; “In beer there is strength. In wine there is wizdom. In water there is only bacteria.” Apparently Free Radio has found something else in their drinks. I’m not sure, but judging from the verses it may be the brain enhancing drug from that Bradley Cooper film ”Limitless”. While the rest of the rap game continues to insist that intelligence is no longer en vogue, and seem hellbent on competing in a death race to the bottom, Free Radio has some genuinely worthwhile shit to say. And quite frankly some pretty compelling imagery to go with it, which is brought to you by Andrew Anderson. “Something in the Water” is the second video from their latest album “Powers That Be” and hopefully not the last, because these dudes are moving in a different direction than most and I’d like to see where it goes from here. My prediction; they begin writing fotune cookie messages, make a killing in the Chinese dessert business and leave the rap game behind mere moments before Rick Ross & the EDM rap craze collide in a heinous implosion of molly, backfat, skinny jeans and shitty sex puns.
Name your own price for the album right here: http://freeradio.bandcamp.com/
In the immortal words of Brandon B “Rap is officially a grown man’s sport, so if your music ain’t knockin step the fuck down…”. And if that doesnt put it to you frankly enough, then allow me to refer you to the album title “Loud Music In the Parking Lot”. A-fucking-men. Succinctly put gentlemen. Trust & believe Trunk Drank does one thing, hord ass beats for wild ass porites, brought to you by two esteemed elder statesman of Gurp City with more stripes than zebra orgy. Two things you can rely on; Brandon B’s hair got more salt & peppa than the ”Push It” video & this will be knockinest album you hear all year… Grown Man Shit. Link: http://gurpcitydigital.bandcamp.com/album/loud-music-in-the-parking-lot
Okay the holiday vacation is over & much to my disappoinment the world didn’t end on 12/21/12, leaving Kevin Costner to lead the survivors to post-apocalyoptic redemption. What did happen is the Fist Fam realeased their latest single & 1st self produced/directed/edited video.
“White Picket Fences” is the final track in the line up of their recently released album “Weekend Cult,” the song pays tribute to the group’s sacrifices over the last decade spent making quality rap music. Contrary to popular belief, there are no white picket fences for psychotic, psychedelic, shit talking rap megalomaniacs. Although the group has received many honors, garnered regional fame, and partied like Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, it all comes at a cost. Listen closely and you can hear the groups philosophy subtly stated on the outro, “If it were easy then everybody would do it.” Many have tried, and many have failed, left to limp home with shattered livers and broken dreams. Not the Fist Fam. This tenacious group of misanthropes has been tearing clubs up across the country, leaving a wake of destruction in their path since the turn of the millennium. After spending the last six years in the alcoholic neverland known as San Francisco, the group has moved back to Asheville NC to recharge their damaged livers, chop some wood to fuel the flames of the oil lamp hash, and try the simple life for a while. Join them in spirit, with spirits. Sit back, pour a glass of the hard stuff,and enjoy.
The official motto of Gurp City South is “Eat Swine, Drink Shine Everyday”. But perhaps the unofficial motto should be “Whiskey & Wings”, because perhaps the only thing that tops our heroic consumtion of the tarantula juice is the frequency with which the crew convenes to competitively cook & eat enough spicy bird to declare a fowlacaust. What I’m saying quite franlkly is that not only will GCS drink you under the table, we are guarding enough secret recipes that I am confident we will dominate any other rap crew out there in a hot wing cook-off (with the possible exception of El Da Sensei, who cooked the wings in the above art for the single & is a Top Gun level wing man.)
This week’s free single is sort of a dedication to that lifestyle, hence the name “Hot Sauce”. It’s the 1st release off the upcoming collaborative EP by Foul Mouth Jerk & Gus Cutty titled Scofflaw which is entirely produced by Grand Invicible’s DJ Eons. The EP, perhaps not coincidentally, was recorded entirely over a 2 day period during Thanksgiving weekend in San Francisco, fueled by a steady intake of leftover baked ham sandwhiches & tallboys. All of which may pave the way for Gurp City’s motto for 2013 “Food, Booze & Shroomz”. Buckle up
They Don’t call Z-Man “Greedy Z” for no reason. The hardest working man in the Bay came home from European tour & hit the ground running with 1 video, 4 songs, 3 new albums and countless wardrobe changes (including one as an Asian, Clement St. store owner) This may be the dawn of Z-Man’s “Trapped in the Closet” era, I don’t know. But what I do know is that nobody is mixing old school technique with truly original styles like Z. …Also I know that only Daniel Boone & Prince Markie D cruised so successfully in coon skin caps. But neither of those things should come as a surprise from a dude whose been on this rap grind since hustling 4-track tapes in 96.
This video “A Day in the Life” is actually a crash course of tracks from the Gpek produced EP In Case You Forgot (available now), the upcoming Slim Godworthy production All Jokes Aside and “The Art Show” off the upcoming Opening Act project produced by Elonis. So keep your eyes peeled for the latter two & go pick up the former below:
You know that drinking by yourself, staring at the bottm of your glass feeling? When the good advice of well meaning assholes barely registers as that sound that Charlie Brown’s parents make when they talk? You gambled it all, the good guys lost, and they don’t award purple hearts for self-inflicted wounds. So pour another shot and raise it to happy endings… because there are No Fairytales.
You ever heard of those old tribesman that believed if you ate the heart of your enemy you would consume their soul and acquire their powers? Well the Fist Fam is working off some pretty similar philosophies. I can’t be certain that this song doesn’t promote devil worship when played forward at normal speed. But I am fairly sure that it is the pyschotic ramblings of desperate individuals far too cavalier in their recreational use of DMT in heroic dosages. To quote Gus Cutty’s verse; “The first to go is the lucky one”.See for yourself…
That’s right Gurp City artists are independent as fuck… not so much because of any high minded artistic integrity, mostly because we’ve burnt far too many bridges for anyone to ride with us. But the motivation as to why we do everything ourselves is neither here nor there. The point I’m trying to drive home to you here is that Gurp City is outchea accomplishing an astounding amount of work for a bunch of grumpy,drug addled, disreputable booze hounds. And this Philo produced first single featuring a hook by John Boy, titled “By Myself”off Fist Fam’s upcoming album is their ode to that work ethic… “Better to show up drunk than call in sick”.
Honesty in rap music…just when you thought that had gone the way of Beta Max & Hammer pants, Free Radio is bringing it back like little face Benjamins, or like in 80′s movies when all you had to do to knock a fool unconscious was sneak up & karate chop them on the back of the neck, A-Team style. You know what else Free Radio learned from the A-Team? Sticking up for the little guy, speaking truth to power and that kinda shit. Also I know that Smidi is a straight thug who will knock you the fuck out but is terrified of flying just like B.A. Burackus, but I’m kind of burying the lead here. My point is that rap music has taken a turn towards celebrating ignorance at every level and while that can be shits & giggles galore, it seems to have become the be all end all of the medium. So at the risk of being indelicate I’ll just say that Free Radio thinks that’s a lot of bologna. Yeah I said it, and pardon my french but I’d go as far as to say it’s a bunch of hooey… you’re all getting a bum steer see? Well in the interest of righting the ship Gurp City South’s young bucket rap savant’s are putting their best foot forward with this new single & the coinciding video that features some pretty quintessential Asheville scenery like the outlaw Foundation skate spot built by the reprobates over at Push and their cohorts. So peep the video & grab the free download. The full length album “Powers That Be” is available now on their bandcamp page, link below.
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